‘The Irish Hoard’ is a humorous take on life in Scotland’s far southwest. A metal detector find sparks political and cultural mayhem in the Machars, leading finally to a would-be terrorist heist and a consoling touch of romance. In the background Brexit provokes chaos, Creative Scotland is in meltdown, and there is some dodgy traffic … Continued

During these trying times, we’ve found stories and fiction to be more important than ever in their power to transport us to other worlds. We’ve rounded up a few of our favourite courageous Scots because we believe in listening and reading stories that move and inspire us right now. From the ever-popular Minerva McGonagall from … Continued

It’s been hard to miss the various creative responses to the restrictions, mandatory and self-imposed, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. From the weekly outbreak of applause, pot-banging and bell-ringing in appreciation of the health workers, to rainbows in windows, and comedian Janey Godley’s affectionate parodies of the First Minister, people have been making sense of … Continued

Last year we celebrated big time the centenary of folklorist, poet and radical, Hamish Henderson. But is there more to Henderson than meets the popular eye? This fictional tale, by Donald Smith, re-imagines Henderson’s inner connection with Perthshire and the mystery of his parenthood. Who was Bardie and what dreams did Hamish live by? Bardie’s … Continued

“The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” (Neil DeGrasse Tyson) However, as humans we cannot help but marvel at the great infinite sky and the sheer number of stars and constellations. We can trace first cave drawings of stars as far back as the stone age and we owe much of … Continued

For many years two important parts of my life ran along in parallel. My life in traditional dance arose from my own enjoyment of Irish and Scottish social dance and the old-style stepping traditions of both countries. Sharing the Irish Sets and Scottish Cèilidh dances I learned over the years seemed a natural thing to … Continued

This week we take a break from Scotland’s Brexit travails in favour of assassination attempts and a manhunt in Annandale. Though more than thirty years have passed, the Lockerbie bombing remains unresolved. More people were killed on Scottish soil in this murderous event than any other, excepting war. The only person ever tried was ‘Unsafely Convicted’ … Continued

Welcome back to another satirical story as part of our Scotland the When series. This week’s tale features Scotland’s Culture Minister in an Edinburgh Festival Fringe mishap. This year’s Fringe is unfortunately not going to go ahead as planned – may it soon be back! Gussie McCraig evokes our worst Brexit nightmares, and they are … Continued

To mark the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, we are launching Scotland the When, a series of satiric or surreal stories about Scotland’s politics and culture. The first story Destiny Stane recounts the rediscovery of the real – again – Stone of Destiny, in the midst of the Brexit stramash, hidden beneath the … Continued

We love to share stories and to connect with our visitors and audiences across the traditional arts, so we thought we would ask TRACS and SSC staff to give you a sneak peek behind the scenes of their lockdown life and office spaces. From attention-seeking pets, coded poetry, creative things like knitting and drawing, to … Continued